Terry Richard/The OregonianFall foliage is just beginning to arrive as Mike McQuoid pedals in central Oregon.

Autumn is a most colorful time of year. Following are some of the best places to look for the changing of color from the seat of a bicycle, either a mountain bike or a road bike.

COLUMBIA GORGE: Guaranteed to be scenic, the Washington side of the Gorge is awesome, but so is the Historic Columbia River Highway on the Oregon side. Waterfalls will begin growing again with the rains of autumn.

CLACKAMAS RIVER: Rafters claim the river in spring, campers own it in summer and cyclists adore it in fall. The river is followed closely by roads throughout its length and passes through some of the Portland-area's best fall scenery.

DESCHUTES RIVER: One of the prettiest mountain bike rides in Oregon follows the river near Inn of the Seventh Mountain outside Bend. Aspen trees will be turning gold, offering a sharp contrast to the blue water of the river and the black volcanic rock. Head for Dillon Falls day use area on the Deschutes National Forest map. Beginners go upstream; intermediates and advanced riders can go downstream, too.

MARINE DRIVE: Bicycle lanes parallel much of Marine Drive in East Portland , past the international airport toward Troutdale. Views of the Columbia River are always stunning and a few pumpkin patches still grow amid the industrial zone.

MOUNT TABOR: This close-in Southeast Portland park comes alive with color twice each year -- when the cherry trees bloom in the spring and when their leaves turn color in the fall. The changing of the leaves lasts longer than the bloom, with the winds of late November finally putting an end to the colorful display on the southwest park entry road.
MOUNT HOOD: Frosty mornings are common in autumn, but a midday tour on a mountain bike near Oregon's highest peak can be the highlight of a cycling season. Cyclists should remember to wear clothes as colorful as the vine maple leaves they are there to see because autumn is hunting season. Head for Surveyors Ridge with you mountain bike.

SANDY RIVER: The river's gorge is not an easy place to ride a bike, except for Multnomah County's Oxbow Park. The real treat for cyclists is to ride the roads through the colorful farmland west of the river.
SAUVIE ISLAND: Pumpkin patches dot the island with fields of orange before they are harvested for Halloween. The island is flat, which some cyclists adore, and is never far from a water view and the cottonwood trees that bring the color color.

WASHOUGAL RIVER: Oregon cyclists are missing a beautiful ride if they haven't found the Washougal. A highway follows the southwest Washington river for much of its length above the town of Washougal.

WILLAMETTE VALLEY: It's difficult not to find a scenic place to ride a bicycle in the Willamette Valley when the leaves are changing color. Popular attractions are the covered bridges of Lane, Linn and Benton counties, plus the Willamette River ferries.